What Hurts the Most
by Chibi Orochi-kun
Summary: My first Naruto fic so be nice! When Naruto dies saving the village, how will everyone react? Who will be hurt the most by the passing of Konoha's sunshine? Songfic. Plz r&r!
1. What Hurts the Most

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured, they are owned by the creator of Naruto. Nor do I own the lyrics featured in this songfic. "What Hurts the Most" belongs to the Rascal Flatts.

A/N: Just to forewarn you, Sasuke is very OOC in this fic. Why, you ask? Cuz I said so! Plus, have Sasuke very emotional makes this songfic better! Trust me.

"_Italics" _Flashback

_/ Italics / _Lyrics

On with the story!

What Hurts the Most

_/ I can take the rain on the roof  
__Of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
__I can take a few tears now and then  
__And just let them out  
I'm not afraid to cry  
__Every once in a while /  
_

The rain fell harshly upon the empty city, a city that had lost its sunshine. The streets were vacant, there were no signs of life. None of the houses or stores had lights in their windows. The city was dark and dead. The rain continued to fall, harder. It had been one year, one full year, since the sun set for the last time in the desolate city named Konoha. On that fateful day, everything changed. Lightning flashed in the sky, revealing silhouettes in the windows of the buildings. All were looking to the sky, praying for the rain to stop. One silhouette stood out amongst the others. It was a young man, sitting alone in a large estate. The only light he had was provided by a small candle in the corner farthest from his seat. He sat in silence, the only sound was the rain hitting the roof above him.

His long ebony bangs covered his eyes from sight. His pale skin glowed in the dim light, against his black cloths. As he sat there, a single tear trailed from a cobalt eye. He let it fall, too lost in memories and thoughts to notice or care. After a few hours, the young man stood, blew out the candle and walked to his room in the dark. The nonstop storms had knocked out the electricity. He opened his door without a sound and walked in, locking it behind him. Going over to one of the corners of the large bedroom, he lit a few candles. Their dim lights flicked on the walls of the room. Walking over to the dresser, he pulled out a pair of black pants and a baggy black shirt. Quickly changing, he grabbed one of the candles and took a seat at the desk that rested against the far wall. Pen in hand, he pulled out a black book from one of the drawers. Setting it on the surface of the desk, he opened to a blank page and began writing.

As he wrote, tears began to flow more freely from his deep eyes, some falling and staining the page. He wrote for about an hour or so. Jotting down thoughts, feelings and anything that his hand was willed to put into ink. He mostly wrote of his missing sunshine, and how he was lost without it. He wrote of what had happened exactly one year earlier and how much he wished it had never occurred. Every word in ink on that page was from his heart, a place only one person had ever been. But that person was gone, and his heart was frozen once more. Pain lurched in his heart at the thought of his loved one. With much force on the pen, he wrote one last statement on the page. Tears littered that statement, sealing its truth in his mind. That statement read, "It's all my fault!"

Closing the book, and placing it back in the drawer, he grabbed the candle and walked over to the large bed covered in black sheets. Setting the candle on the bedside table, he laid himself in the sheets. Sighing as tears began to stain his pillow. He stared at the ceiling, watching as the flickering light of the candles soon melded together to form an image of his lost sunshine. He bit his lip as the image vanished, leaving him alone. Rolling over to rest on his side, he closed his eyes. Praying, as he did every night, that this life he was living was just a dream. And that he was gonna wake up, nestled in his sunshine's arms, safe and warm. Sadly, he knew that this was not a dream. This was reality and it hurt him to say it. His sunshine was gone, and it was never coming back. As he continued to think on his love, he slowly drifted into an unrest full sleep.

_  
/ Even though going on  
__With you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again  
__I pretend I'm ok  
But that's not what gets me /  
_

The rain had slowed to a drizzle when the young man awoke. He looked down to find his pillow soaked with tears. Rubbing his eyes, he got up and went to the dresser. Pulling out a pair of black jeans and a black long sleeved shirt, with his family emblem on the back, he quickly showered and dressed. He stood at the sink, staring at himself in the mirror. He was a train wreck. His black hair was scraggly and unkempt, even though he had just washed it. His pale skin was almost white now, due to the fact he never left his home. His dark cobalt eyes had dulled to a faded black/gray color, large bags were under them from lack of sleep. His eyes were bloodshot, the skin around them raw red. Sniffling, he splashed cold water on his face, hoping it would diminish the redness. Splashing his face a few more times, he walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. He didn't eat much since it happened, he had lost several pounds. When he did eat, it was in small amounts.

Quickly fixing a small breakfast, he sat at the table and ate it, playing with it half the time. Once he finished, he sat a moment, looking out the water stained window. He could see the rain slowing, but not stopping. He sighed as he stood and cleaned his plate. After that, he went into the living room and sat in a black chair, near the window. He sat and stared into nothingness, thinking once again. This was how he spent his days, since he lost his sunshine. He never trained, or went on missions, he didn't even leave his home. He hadn't seen those he called friends in one year, it was too hard. He just sat and thought, it was all he could will himself to do since living without his sunshine was so painful. When he lost his sun, he was left to stumble alone in the dark. He sighed as tears threatened his eyes again. Soon, he started chuckling, at himself.

"The great Uchiha heir, reduced to a worthless weakling with no future by the death of one person." He continued to laugh at himself.

"Why did you die? And leave me here to suffer? It's unfair…" He stopped when he sensed someone approaching the mansion.

He stood from his chair and silently walked over to the main door. The moment a knock sounded from the other side, he grasped the handle and opened it. Standing before him was his old sensei. His gray hair was plastered to his face and neck by the rain. His one visible eye was curved from a smile. He stepped aside and aloud the older man inside. Closing the door, he walked into the living room where his sensei had gone, he found the older man sitting on the couch, waiting for him to join. He dismissed the man, walking back to his chair and sitting, staring out the window. After a few moments of silence, his sensei spoke.

"How have you been Sasuke?"

He didn't answer, just continued to stare out. The older man sighed.

"I understand that you're taking this really hard but it's been one full year, it's about time to move on. That's what he would have wanted, and you know it."

He continued to stare, watching as the rain started up again.

"How do you know that's what he would have wanted?"

The older man looked up at his students whispered words. He could tell that the young man's voice was hoarse, but from what he did not know.

"You and I knew him well enough to know that he would never have wanted anyone to mourn this long." Stated the gray haired man.

The young man just sat in silence, not really hearing what his sensei had said.

"I guess I shall leave you to wallow in your sorrows, since I have a mission in about an hour. My first mission in months." He sighed. "I really wish you hadn't given up, but then again, it's not my decision. See ya Sasuke." The gray haired man stood, and without a glance to his student, showed himself out.

The young man watched silently as the silhouette of his sensei vanished in the fog that the harsh rains had left. The pitter patter of the drizzle was all that could be heard. It was true, he had given up. The month after the death of his love, he went to the Hokage and resigned from the ANBU and asked to be removed from being a ninja. The Hokage had not asked and just relieved him. About two months after that is when the nonstop rains had started. At first, everyone he knew constantly came to his home and begged him to come train, eat, something other than sitting alone. He slammed and locked the door on them all. He refused to leave, but he didn't know why. He had given up on all of his dreams, including taking revenge on his clan. It just no longer seemed important. Nothing mattered anymore, not now that his sunshine was gone. What hurt the worst, was knowing that it was his fault that his sunshine was gone. It was his fault.

_/ What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying' to do / _

Smoke filled the air as fires ragged all around the hidden city of Konoha. All ninja's, from every rank, were called to arms to defend the city from the invading Sound Nins, and their leader. The ground was covered in the bodies of the dead, wounded and dying, from both villages. The Hokage continued to reassure the ninjas that the reinforcements from the Sand village should arrive soon, but her words fell on deaf ears as the leader of the sound village summoned the large purple serpent, Mandan. Just as she and the ninja standing next to her were about to summon their great beasts, she spotted someone battling the leader of the Sound upon the head of Mandan. Everyone watched with baited breath. Suddenly, the challenger was thrown from the head of the serpent, a small blood trail following him through the air.

"_Sasuke!" Shouted the Hokage. _

_As the young man fell, an orange blur shot up from out of nowhere and caught him, taking him into the depths of the forest. Leaving the sounds of battle behind, the orange blur carried the injured man with care but haste. After running for a bit, the blur stopped, setting the young man against a rock. Quickly inspecting the wound that his friend had received, the blonde haired, blue eyed ninja bound it to stop the bleeding. After doing that, he took off his orange jacket and placed it on the injured mans shoulders, to keep the bandage from getting torn. As the blonde ninja was about to stand and leave, the young man awoke form unconsciousness. _

"_Nar… Naruto?" He asked in a hushed voice._

"_Quiet Sasuke, you need to save your strength. You've lost a lot of blood but I managed to stop it for now. Just stay put. I've gotta go back and fight. I'll come back and take you to Tsunade-baachan as soon as I can, I promise Sasuke." With that said, the blonde ninja stood and ran back towards the battle field. _

_His breathing became labored as sweat started to trail down his skin. The blood loss finally catching up to him. The wound on his side was throbbing. He grasped a hold of the jacket that was over his shoulders. As his eyes began to feel heavy, he brought his hazy gaze to where he could see the blonde ninja running. He wasn't running as fast as before. His eyes soon became too heavy to stay open, so the fell shut as he drifted into unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was his sunshine. _

_When the young man opened his eyes, he was standing in a crowd, every person there was someone he either knew or had met. Even those he hated were there. They were standing in an infinite abyss of white. Their shadows were the only things showing that there was a ground to stand on. He looked down to his arms, and found shackles around his wrists and ankles. The shackles were interconnected with not only the other ones on his form, but to the shackles of those around him and the ground he was standing on. Wondering silently in his mind what the shackles were for, he stared at them. Suddenly, every head in the large crowd shot up, the sound of breaking metal drawing their attention. When he looked up, he found his sunshine standing near him. The shackles that had once bound the blonde had broken, and now lay in pieces on the ground. Without a back glance or a last word, the blonde began walking away from the crowd, into the distance of nothingness. He tried to call to his sunshine, but found that not only could he not open his mouth, but he had no voice. He could only watch, tears in his eyes, as his sunshine slowly faded into the abyss. _

_The young Uchiha shot up from the bed he was laying on. His eyes wide in shock. Slowly combing his fingers through his hair, to calm himself, he took in his surroundings. He was in a hospital room. Scattered around the room were people he considered friends. They all were sleeping peacefully. He looked down at his shaking hands, wondering where his sunshine was. He didn't see the blonde anywhere. He felt the bed shift a bit, looking over he saw that the pink haired girl had awoken. _

"_Sasuke, you're awake." She said in a hushed voice._

_He merely nodded. She smiled, and then proceeded to wake everyone else in the room. Once all were awake, she was sent to fetch the Hokage. All was quiet as they awaited the arrival of their leader and head doctor. Once she arrived, she proceeded to check his wound. It had stopped bleeding and was starting to heal, but he was to remain in the hospital a few days until he over came the side affects of his blood loss. Once everything was cleared, discussion began. All asked how he was feeling, but they all had underlining feelings that he could not identify. He sat in the bed, answering all the questions thrown at him systematically. After awhile, the questions died down and silence became predominant in the room once again. The only sound was the beeping of the heart rate machine. He broke the silence by asking the one question that had been on his mind since he had awoken._

"_Where is Naruto?"_

_All fell quiet, not knowing how to answer. The tension in the room doubled. Whatever had happened to the blonde, none wanted to tell. This frightened him, he had to know where his sunshine was. His gaze traveled to every face in the room, until finally settling on the Hokage who had started approach him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and raised her teary eyes to meet his._

"_Sasuke, after Naruto bandaged your wound, he returned to fight Orochimaru. The battle was long and very destructive but he won in the end. Using the power of the nine tails, he killed Orochimaru. Unfortunately the full power of the demon fox was too much for him. Shortly after defeating Orochimaru, and telling us where he placed you, he collapsed. Before we could help him, his body shut down," She had to stop herself before she cried. Tears already falling form her eyes. _

"_Sasuke, Naruto is dead." Came the pain stricken voice of their gray haired sensei. _

_All fell quiet in the room as he absorbed this information. His sunshine was gone, gone forever. He couldn't comprehend what was just told to him. His sunshine had died to keep him from being taken again. It was his fault. Lost in thought, he didn't notice the people around him had started filing out of the room, all in tears. The last to leave was the pink haired girl. She stood next to his bed, her hands behind her back. _

"_Sasuke, I know its hard to believe, and I'm sorry we couldn't save him." She started silently, getting his attention. _

"_When we went to find you, you were unconscious, lying against a rock. The bandage he had put on you had stopped your bleeding, but you had a high fever from infection. When we found you, you were wearing this," She pulled her arms out from behind her to reveal that in her hands was the jacket that the blonde had placed over his shoulders. He stared at it a moment._

"_I'm thinking Naruto knew he wasn't going to come back, and gave this to you as a token I guess. After all, you both were really good friends behind the rivalry. I think he really wanted you to have it." She placed the folded jacket on his lap and left, tears in her eyes. _

_He stared at the jacket in his lap a moment before gently grasping it in his hands. Feeling its soft texture under his fingertips, an image of the blonde flashed in his mind. Tears threatened his eyes, he bit his bottom lip to try and stop them. After a moment, his eyes were over flowing, droplets landing on the cloth in his hands. Clutching it tightly, he held it to his chest. Memories of the blonde flashing in his mind, his loud voice booming in his ears. He hugged the jacket closer, the smell of his sunshine floating to his nose. As he sat there, crying and clutching the jacket like a lifeline, he remembered what he had been told. He was gone, and it was his fault. The more he thought, the harder it became to see any point in living. Nothing had any meaning anymore. Nothing mattered. He had lost his sunshine, nothing else mattered. He spent the rest of that day crying. When the pink haired girl returned, she tried to comfort him, only to make herself cry as well. So they sat and cried together. _

He cried silently into his pillow at the memory. That was the day his whole world fell apart. His fingers clutched the sheets on his bed tightly, almost enough to put holes in them. It had been exactly one year since that day. As he continued to cry, he reached under the pillow next to him and pulled out the orange jacket that was all that was left of his love. He held the fabric close to him as continued to cry. The pain he felt was so intense, he never knew such a pain existed until his sunshine died. Soon, his tears ran dry. He laid there on his bed, the jacket still clutched close to him. He buried his face in the fabric, it still smelled like him. He held the fabric a moment, questions coming to his mind.

"If Naruto knew that he wasn't going to survive the battle, then why did he say he would come back? It makes no sense." He whispered to himself as he drifted to sleep.

_/ It's hard to deal with the pain  
__Of losing you everywhere I go  
But I'm doing' It  
It's hard to force that smile  
__When I see our old friends  
__And I'm alone /  
_

_The sky was covered with dark rain clouds, blocking the sun from view. The streets were filled with people but there was utter silence. Not one person spoke. It had been one month, and still people mourned. He was no exception. He tried to keep his grief quiet because ninja weren't supposed to show their feelings. He was having a hard time doing so. Everywhere he looked in that city he saw a memory of his love. Everywhere he went, he was haunted by the memory of his sunshine. As he walked, he looked to the sky. He saw it appropriate that the clouds hid the sun, for their sunshine was gone. He could still hear the dobe's laughter in the air, and his loud mouth comments. It was as if he were still there, all the sounds still fresh in his mind. He walked past the Ramen shop that was his loves favorite, and for a moment he swore he saw him in there, eating twenty bowls of the stuff. But alas, it was just a memory. Biting the inside of his mouth to stop the tears that threatened his eyes._

_He was brought from his musings by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the pink haired girl. Her green eyes were glazed with tears. He lowered his head to try and hide his own eyes but she saw the tears just the same. She sighed and rubbed his shoulder. They walked together in the silent street, no words were needed. As they walked, he spotted several other of his sunshine's friends. They too wore faces of sadness, tears in several of their eyes. He and the pink haired girl stopped in the local flower shop, run by the family of another friend. Everyone was in there, buying flowers for his sunshine's grave. After the mass crowd left, he bought a single red rose. The girl at the counter, who was usually cheerful and ready to jump at the chance to win his love, was strangely quiet. She kept her head downcast, attempting to hide her tears as well but he knew they were there. He put on a false smile when he thanked her and walked out. He walked alone to the resting place of his love, his heart aching more with every step he took. _

"_Oy Sasuke, you here too?" _

_He looked up to see all of his love's friends. They stood around in a small crowd, all holding an assortment of flowers. As he scanned the crowd, he spotted the Kazekage and his two companions. Walking up to the crowd, his flower hidden, he nodded his head._

"_Didn't think you would come here Sasuke. After all, you and Naruto were always fighting and stuff. I though you guys hated each other." Stated the man with a dog by his side. _

"_I respected him, as a rival and a friend. After all, he was far stronger than me. He brought me back from Orochimaru and killed that bastard, that's more then I could ever do." He stated, his gaze locked on the grave. _

"_I'm sure he would be very happy that you came Sasuke." Stated the pink haired girl. She was standing next to a tall man, with a bowl hair cut and thick eyebrows. _

"_I agree with Sakura-chan, you were both worthy opponents. I am positive that he is very happy that you are here." Stated the man standing next to the pink haired girl. _

"_I bet your both right." He whispered. _

_Slowly everyone said their prayers and left their flowers at the grave. The villagers had demanded that his love have a grave all his own. Due to the fact he had been the demon vessel. Rain had started to fall when the last person left the grave, leaving him alone with his love. He stood before the stone, a pile of flowers at his feet. Taking the rose out from behind his back, he stood. He held the rose to his lips, a single tear falling onto its petals. He was soaked to the bone by the time he set the rose down. His black hair was plastered to his head, hiding his crying eyes from view. His tears went unseen, for they had mixed with the rain. His breaths were ragged as he thought silently to himself. He was trying to think of what words he could say. He knew nothing he said would make him feel better but he felt he owed his sunshine. For the last time he had seen him alive, he had been unable to speak. He brought his thoughtful gaze to the photo resting at the base of the grave marker, biting his tongue at the smile that looking back at him. _

_/ Still Harder  
Getting up  
__Getting dressed  
__Living with this regret  
But I know if I could do it over  
I would trade  
__Give away all the words  
__That I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken / _

"Hey," came the hoarse voice of the young man. "Never got a chance to say thanks, you know, for saving me. You didn't have to, I could have saved… Who am I kidding? It's just you and me. I don't have to act all tough and shit right? I never did around you. Never had to, you always saw right through me." He dropped his head. "I haven't forgotten, you know, what you said back when you brought me back home. They still play in my mind whenever I'm not paying attention. They're always followed by the question, did you really mean it? I think you did, I know you did." He wiped the water from around his eyes. "It's not the same now, now that you're gone. Everyone is sad, most are crying. Even me. Hell, I think I'm crying the most. I know you would be laughing if you could see me now. The sun doesn't shine anymore, its nothing but rain. I think it fits, since you were the sunshine of this rat hole of a city."

_He paused a moment, sobbing silently, trying to stop his tears._

"_You're finally a hero. The irony, you became a hero after you died. You saved everyone by killing that bastard. Many of the villagers and most of the shinobi agree that there should be some kind of monument in your honor. Especially since you gave your life to save us. I agree with them. You deserve the recognition and for your story to be remembered for generations to come." He paused. "I miss you, even though you were a hyperactive idiot, you were my friend. My closest, best, friend and the only one I considered worthy to spar me. Nothings ever gonna be the same with you gone." He rubbed the back of his hand against his nose and tried to breath, creating a sniffling sound. "Everything's starting to return to normal, everyone starting to get back to their old lives. I can never do that. You were the biggest, only, piece in my life. Nothing else mattered. Not even killing Itachi to avenge my family. I feel hollow now that you're gone." _

_He rubbed his hands over his face, taking sobbing breaths as the tears started anew. "You were all that mattered to me. It may not have seemed like it Naruto, but you were my world. And now that you're gone, my world has fallen apart. I feel as though I have lost everything, but this feeling is worse than the feeling I had when I lost my clan. This feeling is much worse." Fisting the cloth over his heart, he continued. "It feels like someone has ripped out my heart." He broke down and cried. "You dobe! Why did you have to go and get yourself killed like that? Why! Why! Why! You didn't have to! You didn't have to fight him and die! You dobe! Dobe! You meant the world to me, and you never knew it! You always thought no one really cared, you were wrong… I cared. I cared too much." _

_He fell to his knees, rain water splashing all over him. "I've always wanted to tell you, that I cared. But I never could bring myself to say it. Even though you said those words to me, I couldn't repeat them. I was scared." He paused to catch his breath. "I was scared of what you would say, of what everyone else would say. I was so scared, I had nightmares about it. I decided my feelings could wait, for how long? I didn't know. But now I'm not scared to say it, and it's too late. You're gone and you're never coming back." He slammed his fist into the muddy ground. "Damnit Naruto! Damnit…. I… I…" His body shook as he stuttered his words. "I… Damnit I loved you Naruto!" He paused. "I've always loved you, and I always will. I promise."_

_/ What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do / _

He awoke to find his pillow soaked again. He was still clutching the jacket to his chest. He lay in bed for an hour or so, running through the memories he dreamed of the night before. Sighing, he rose from the bed and dressed himself for the day. After showering and putting on a pair of long baggy black pants, a loose fitting long sleeve black shirt, and black boots, he returned to his room. Once he made his bed, he took the jacket and folded it neatly, placing it back under the pillow. He walked down the stairs and into the living room in silence. He stood before the window, watching the rain drops fall. As he watched, a single tear fell from a cobalt eye. His eyes widened when he thought, instead of his reflection, he saw his sunshine in the widow glass. He raised a hand to the glass, lightly pressing his fingers against it where his sunshine's cheek was. The image vanished, replaced by his own. Pulling his fingers away as though was just burned, he dropped his head. Sighing, he walked to the rack next to the door and pulled down his coat. Putting it on, he opened the door and walked out into the rain.

There were barely any people out walking the streets. Those who saw him, stopped and watched him in wonder. This was the first time in almost a year he left his house. His ebony hair stuck to his face as the rain washed away his tears. Walking past the flower shop, he stopped. Considering on buying a flower for the grave he was on his way to visit. Deciding against it, he continued walking. While going past a restaurant where his sunshine and all their friends used to hang out, he heard gasps. Peering out of the corner of his eye, he saw all of his old friends sitting at a table, staring at him as he walked by. He smirked inwardly at this. That small ego boost didn't last though, as the grave of his love came into sight. He softly sighed as he walked under the cover of the forest trees on the path to his destination. Upon entering the clearing, he found he was not the only one to visit his sunshine on this day. Standing before the grave was a young man around his age, a little shorter than him, with shoulder length blonde-ish red hair. He wore a black cloak over his cloths. He was soaked, his hair sticking to him.

"You actually left you house? That's amazing." Came the soft but raspy voice of the young man.

He looked at the man, not recognizing him.

"So, what brings you here on this, such a lovely day?" Asked the young man in the cloak.

"Who are you?" He asked in a hoarse voice.

"Someone you know, but you have forgotten me." Stated the man.

"Why are you here?"

"To visit an old friend, such a shame that he died like this." The man shook his head form side to side.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he died saving a village that hated him. His sacrifice was in vein, everyone has already forgotten about him. There aren't even any flowers on his grave. How sad." He shook his head again.

"Who the hell do you think you are? No one has forgotten Naruto! People are still mourning! It has not stopped raining since he died! No one has forgotten him! Who do you think you are accusing such things?"

The man was silent a moment.

"Is it true?" asked the man.

"Is what true?"

"What you said that day one year ago. Did you really mean what you said?" The man asked.

"Yes but how do you know about that?"

"I was here on that day, hiding in the trees. I heard every word Sasuke." The man stated.

He was silent.

"I heard every word, even the ones only meant for him to hear." The man paused.

"Why the hell do you care if what I said was true or not? You're not Naruto! Naruto is gone forever!" The tears began anew.

"I care because they hit me hard." The man stated, confusing him.

He looked at the man, through tear blurred eyes.

"If I had known how you felt, I would have done what I did and cause you so much pain this past year."

"What do you mean?"

"Naruto never died Sasuke." Stated the man.

"What?"

The man turned, facing him. His eyes widened as he found himself staring into the bright blue eyes that haunted his memories.

_/ What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do / _

"I'm right here." Stated the blonde, his sunshine.

He was speechless.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah Sasuke-Teme, it's me."

"But, I don't understand."

His sunshine shook his head and walked over to him. He was a few inches shorter than the Uchiha. Wrapping his arms around the blonde, he began to cry again. His sunshine returned the embrace, letting him cry on his shoulder. They stood like this for some time, silently soothing each other. Soon, the Uchiha calmed, confusion replacing shock. He pulled from the embrace to look the blonde in the eyes. His sunshine smiled at him, understanding his confusion. The blonde simply pulled him back into a hug, whispering "I'll explain later" into his ear. Satisfied that his confusion would be resolved later, the Uchiha melted into the embrace. The rain had soaked them before they pulled apart.

"I love you Naruto, I'm not afraid to say it anymore." Said the Uchiha.

"I'm glad Sasuke, cuz now I'm not scared either." The Uchiha raised an eyebrow.

"Let me show you what I mean." Said the blonde.

Before the Uchiha could react, his sunshine had pulled him in for a kiss. His eyes widened as the blonde's lips met his, sending a wave of pleasure throughout his mouth. After relaxing, he began to kiss back with as much enthusiasm as the smaller body before him. Wrapping his arms around the Uchihas' neck, the blonde braced himself against the other mans larger form. As he nipped at the smaller mans lower lip, he let his hands wonder the expanse of soaked body pressed flush against him. Grasping the blondes' ass, he thrust his tongue in the open mouth that was presented. His appendage explored the vast cavern, tasting and memorizing every inch. Soon, they parted for air. They still stayed close, their panting breaths brushing over the others lips. He stared into his sunshine's bright blue eyes. What he saw, he would never forget. A feeling of belonging washed over his body like the rain. A true smile found its way to his face for the first time in years. He was happy, he would never be alone again.

_/ Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do /_

A/N: Ok, I know. Sasuke was a cry baby but you know what? He was my yaoi slave in this fic and he did whatever I told him to. He worked himself to the bone here. And yes I know, I had planed the plot twist from the beginning. Haha! I know, I know, I never explained why Naruto had faked his death but you know what? I don't know myself! I leave that little piece of info to you, the readers', imagination! My brain hurts, I wanna go home! Wait, I am home…. Screw you people!


	2. My Immortal

Disclaimer: Ok, you guys know I don't own Naruto… or the song… this is a given!

A/N: Ok peoples! Here is the second and final installment of "What Hurts the Most"! I know most must have not expected this, but HA! I wrote this because so many asked for it and the fact that I didn't feel like leaving loose ends in the first installment. Sasuke is still like all depressed and crying and stuff… pansy. And he is still my Yaoi sex slave… along with Itachi, but he won't be in this story. Sorry fangirls but alas, he is too busy making Sasuke cry for me. NO! YOU DIRTY FANGIRLS! Itachi is beating Sasuke up… It's rather humorous to watch… Teehee. Anyway… ON WITH THE FIC!

"Normal"

_Flashback_

_/Lyrics/_

_Dream_

FYI: The flashbacks featured are in complete random order. So if you get confused, that's why.

My Immortal

_/ I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
__And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone /  
_

"_Let me show you what I mean." Said the blonde. _

_Before the Uchiha could react, his sunshine had pulled him in for a kiss. His eyes widened as the blonde's lips met his, sending a wave of pleasure throughout his mouth. After relaxing, he began to kiss back with as much enthusiasm as the smaller body before him. Wrapping his arms around the Uchihas' neck, the blonde braced himself against the other mans larger form. As he nipped at the smaller mans lower lip, he let his hands wonder the expanse of soaked body pressed flush against him. Grasping the blondes' ass, he thrust his tongue in the open mouth that was presented. His appendage explored the vast cavern, tasting and memorizing every inch. Soon, they parted for air. They still stayed close, their panting breaths brushing over the others lips. He stared into his sunshine's bright blue eyes. What he saw, he would never forget. A feeling of belonging washed over his body like the rain. A true smile found its way to his face for the first time in years. He was happy, he would never be alone again. _

_He clung tightly to his blonde, not wanting to ever let him go. Fisting his fingers in the fabric of the blondes coat, he began to cry again. But these were not tears of sadness, but joy. He was so overwhelmed with emotion at seeing his blonde again, he couldn't keep it all inside him. He calmed when he felt his sunshine's arms leave him, dropping to his sides. Loosening his grip on the coat, the Uchiha began to feel the front of his shirt and his sleeves becoming soaked. It had stopped raining a while ago and their cloths had dried, so why were his suddenly soaked? Then, the blonde's body began to tremble. Before pulling from the embrace to see why, he heard his sunshine whisper. _

"_I'm sorry Sasuke. I'm really sorry."_

_His breath stopped in his throat, not understanding what his sunshine was sorry for. Releasing the blonde, he took a step back, all thoughts had vanished. Blood covered the front of his sunshine, flowing from several wounds, some wasn't even his. Tears fell silently from his cobalt eyes as he gazed at the dobe. Soon, black eyes met blue, but it wasn't the normal, bright blue the blonde's eyes were, but a dull blue, almost lifeless. A single tear escaped those dead eyes, cleaning the blood in its wake. _

"_I'm so sorry Sasuke, I broke my promise. I never came back. Please forgive me…" The dobe's voice trailed off. _

_His eyes widened in shock as the image of the blonde before him shattered into a million pieces. He reached foreword to try and grasp the image, but he was cut by the shards. Suddenly, the ground he had been standing on crumbled beneath him. He fell in silence, no scream escaping from his gaping mouth. He fell forever, seeing no end to the void. Then, he stopped falling, just stopped. Looking around, he found himself back in the white abyss, the same place he had seen his love vanish from. Looking around frantically, he found nothing but emptiness. No one was there like last time. He was alone. All alone, soaked in his sunshine's blood._

_/ These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much  
__That time cannot erase /_

Blood red eyes shot open in a mixture of fear and uncertainty. Beads of sweat fell down ivory skin as ebony locks clung to the falling drops. Body tense and breathing heavy, he shot up to a sitting position. Panting frantically, trying to calm his hyped up nerves, his Sharingan eyes scanned the black room. Everything was just as he had left it when he had entered his world of memories. His panting finally calming, his frazzled nerves bringing him down from the adrenaline high, his red eyes turned back to black. Running white fingers through his sweat-drenched hair, he sighed. Turning his attention to the other side of the large bed, looking for his sunshine, his heart dropped. The other side was undisturbed, as it had been for years. The cloth there was cold to his touch. His lower lip quivered, it had all been a dream. Tears forming in his blood shot eyes as he came back to reality. The tears feel down his cheeks in silence, he refused to believe it was a dream. Throwing the covers from his body, he rushed to the window. Pulling back the blinds, he found nothing but rain. The tears fell faster, his chest heaving, it couldn't be true. He could have sworn he was just at the grave, kissing his sunshine. It was so real, it had to have been real. _  
_

Placing the pads of his fingers on the glass, he flinched at the cold. Watching the rain fall, he laid his forehead against the cold surface. The tears warm on his frigid skin. Nails scrapped on the surface of the window as his fingers clenched into a fist. He pounded the pane, not knowing why. His teeth clenched, glancing out the window once more, he returned to his bed. He laid there for what, to him, felt like hours. Doing nothing but staring into space, trying to believe his dream was real. Raising himself, he threw the now soaked pillow across the room, hearing it collide with the wall. Reaching under the pillow next to him, he pulled out a bright orange jacket that was the last reminder of his blonde sunshine. Bringing the cloth close to him, tears fell anew. Holding it tightly to his chest, he buried his face in the orange fabric that smelled of his love. Tears fell to the cloth, making it wet as well. Not caring, he continued to cry. In his mind, he was crying on his sunshine's shoulder, while his love gently rubbed his back to calm him. He knew it wasn't real, but it was enough to stop his tears.

_/ When you cried  
__I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream  
__I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand  
__Through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me /  
__  
The songs of birds echoed through the bright green forests that surrounded the village of Konoha. The nearly cloudless sky was bright blue behind his eyelids. He lay in the grass, just relaxing in the spring air. The sun felt good against his ivory skin, having been under house arrest for the past year. A slight breeze filtered through the trees, ruffling the grass. The blades tickled what portions of his skin that were exposed. Sighing, he silently drifted to sleep. Still aware of his surroundings but very much asleep. He laid there for hours, just enjoying life and everything it provided when he felt a familiar chakra approach. Cracking one cobalt eye open when a shadow fell over him, a smirk found its way to his face. Opening both eyes, he found himself staring into the bright blue eyes of the blonde dobe who had brought him back to Konoha one year before, kicking and screaming. The dobe smiled down at him, his blue eyes filled with happiness at seeing that the Uchiha was still around. _

"_What do you want dobe?" Asked the dark avenger. _

_The blonde just smiled. Sitting up, he found that the blonde was holding something behind his back. He raised an eyebrow in question. His smile growing wider, the blonde showed him a new head band. Now he was really confused. _

"_It's for you!" Said the blonde, happily. _

"_Nani?" _

"_I just talked to Tsunade-baachan! She told me that she and the council forgive what you did, running away and all, and that you can be a Konoha shinobi again!" The dobe's blue eyes brightened. _

_He stared at the head band a moment, not knowing whether to take it or remain a civilian. Raising his gaze to the blonde, his answer came. The look of unrelenting hope on the blondes face broke him. His smirk turning into a smile, he grabbed the head band from the blonde and put it on. The smile on the dobe's face widened beyond belief. After the head band was secure, he turned back to his friend. No words could express the happiness the blonde felt, and he knew this. Suddenly, he found himself colliding with the ground, a very, very happy shinobi hugging the life from him. This was one of the many things he liked about the blonde, he was always happy. It seemed that nothing could change that. Managing to remove the much smaller man from him, he sat back up. The blonde laughed, falling back on to the ground. He just stared at the blonde, not fully understanding what was so funny but just letting it slide. A smirk found its way to his face again as he watched the dobe. _

"_Oh man Sasuke!" The blonde began as he sat up. "It's gonna be just like old times! You, me and Sakura Going on missions. Kicking ass! And… Eating Ramen!" He pumped his fist into the air at the last one. _

_He shook his head at the dobe's antics. "Only you like Ramen."_

"_True! But, it's something we used to do! Therefore, I include it!" Shouted the blonde. _

"_Naruto…"_

"_Yeah Sasuke?"_

"_You're such a dobe."_

"_I am not! You take that back Sasuke-Teme!" _

_Shaking his head, he stood and began to walk away from the blonde, knowing full well that the dobe would follow him. Just as expected, the other man soon fell into step behind him. Indeed, it already felt like the old days, back when they were just genin. Before he had run to the snake bastard. Before everything, it felt good. He still couldn't say for certain why he stayed, but he knew it had something to do with the blonde walking behind him. How could he lie to himself, it was all because of the blonde. Though he kept it secret out of fear of rejection, he had always had strong feelings for the dobe. He hoped that one day he would drum up the courage to tell him his feelings, but he was afraid. Hard to believe but yes, the great Uchiha was afraid of the blonde's reaction. That alone is what kept him from saying it, and that reason tore him up inside. _

_/ You used to captivate me  
By your resonating light  
Now I'm bound by the life  
__You left behind /  
__  
Silence echoed through the hollow apartment, the only sound was the rain falling outside the broken windows. Shuffling sounded as the person in the apartment with him moved some things so to clean under them. He sat on the windowsill, cobalt eyes closed. He really didn't want to be where he was, but he felt he had to, for his dobe. Opening his eyes, he watched the pink haired girl as she stuffed more trash into a bag in the far corner. As she walked back to the pile she was working on, her gaze met his. They stared at each other a moment, black to green. A silent agreement not to speak was made then. She then returned to her work, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. He knew she didn't want to be here as much as him and the only reason their sensei got out of helping was because he was on another mission at the moment. _

_As he sat, his thoughts drifted to the day that was fast approaching, the funeral. He knew all the people were sharing his wish for it to not come. There was a debate going on amongst the shinobi and the Hokage, as to what he will be dressed in. The shinobi say he should be buried in Hokage's robes. The old witch agrees with them, stating that he had been her first choice for her successor. But a good portion of the villagers say he should just be burned, a burial fitting a demon they say. He agreed with the shinobi, his dobe was no demon. _

"_Sasuke?" Came the chocking voice of the pink haired girl. _

_He looked to find she had finished her task. Tears were falling down her cheeks. _

"_Yeah Sakura?"_

"_I finished cleaning, you ready to start on the repairs?" _

"_No, you're to busy crying."_

"_Gomen, I just can't help it." She lowered her head. "It's just so hard to believe… to think he's gone." The tears fell faster. "That's he's never coming back. It hurts Sasuke, it hurts so much." She began sobbing._

"_Perhaps we should wait for Kakashi sensei." He suggested to the distraught girl. _

_She nodded her head in agreement, taking a seat in one of the dining chairs. Silence took hold of the room once more. Both retreated into their thoughts. They sat for an hour or two, not surprised at how long it was taking their sensei to finish his mission. Sighing, he sealed his eyes and submitted to slumber. Ever since his dobe died, he had not slept at all. His cat nap was dreamless, not even an image of the blonde to comfort him. Silent sobbing awoke him from his much needed rest. Looking over toward the pink haired girl, he found her crying to herself. Aware she was being watched, she looked to the Uchiha. _

"_It feels just like yesterday that Naruto was running around Konoha shouting about how he was gonna become Hokage." She began, fighting her tears. "I didn't think I'd miss him this much. Maybe it's cuz I know he's not coming back this time." She paused and looked at him. "You miss him too, don't you Sasuke?"_

_He stayed silent a moment. "Hai, I miss him Sakura." 'More than anyone will ever know.' He added in his mind. He blinked away a single tear from his cobalt eye. _

_/ Your face it haunts  
My once pleasant dreams  
Your voice it chased away  
All the sanity in me /  
_

_Thunder shook the house as the rain berated the city outside, as it had since the sun had set for the last time. The power had been thrown out days ago, candles glowed in the windows of the village. He sat in silence, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain. Lulled to a trance by the soft beat. His mind filled with images he remembered fondly, images of his sunshine. His eyes snapped open, tears threatening them. He refused to close his eyes, for when he did, the smile that brought him so much joy haunted him. Taunted him, downed him. Though he missed the blonde so much it hurt, he couldn't bear to think of him, not just yet. He still blamed himself for his loves death. After all, it was his fault. If he had been stronger, the blonde would not have had to fight that snake bastard and get himself killed. It was all his fault. And that was what he heard when he saw his love when he closed his eyes. It hurt him to think this but he thought it just the same. _

_Standing from his seat, he walked to the bathroom. Removing his shirt and turning on the faucet, he looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were raw from his constant crying. Cupping his hands under the fall of running water, he continually splashed his face. Hoping the coldness of the liquid would keep him awake. He turned off the water and dried his hands and face. Before stepping back into his room, he heard a knock at the door. Not bothering to get a shirt on, he walked down the stairs to the main hall. Unlocking the door, he opened it to find the pink haired girl. She was soaked. Stepping aside to let her in, he locked the door behind her. He followed her into the living room, where he sat in his usual chair. Silence consumed the room, the girl not knowing what to say. She looked toward him to start speaking when her eyes widened. _

"_Sasuke? What's happened to you?"_

_Not understanding what she was talking about, he followed her gaze to his unclothed upper body. For the first time, he noticed how thin he was. He was no longer made of muscle, but skin and bone. He wasn't as thin as some people he had seen but he was still thin. You could see several of his ribs and his shoulders were bulging more then they used to. He supposed this was because of his lack of eating. He was just never hungry. Looking up at the pink haired girl, finding her with a shocked and mortified expression on her face, he answered her. _

"_I haven't been hungry lately, so I haven't been eating." He stated calmly. _

"_You what! Sasuke! You have to eat!" She shouted at him. _

"_Why should I eat if I'm not even hungry Sakura?" He asked. _

"_Because, you'll starve to death if you don't!" She stood as she shouted. "Do you really want to die Sasuke?" She asked._

"_Death sounds pretty good right now." He whispered. _

"_I can't believe this Sasuke, I'm going to get Tsunade. She'll straighten you out!" She turned to walk out the door. _

"_Did you not hear? Tsunade has no authority over me anymore. I resigned, I'm not a ninja anymore." He stated as he stared out the window. _

_She paused, and turned towards him. Unshed tears in her eyes. _

"_Why Sasuke?"_

"_It's not important to me anymore."_

"_Not even becoming strong to kill Itachi?" She asked, her voice filled with hope._

"_No, nothing matters to me anymore." He whispered. 'Nothing except being with my love.' He added in his mind._

"_Fine, if death is so precious to you, you can die alone and rot in hell!" She shouted as she left, slamming the door behind her. _

_/ These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much  
__That time cannot erase /  
__  
He sat alone in his room, a kunai in hand. He had just gotten home from the hospital only a few hours before. Self loathing had set in a few days before, digging deeper into his soul. He tightened his grip on the weapon as his thoughts returned self loathing. Bringing his tear filled gaze to the blade, a need unlike any he had ever felt filled his body. Pushing up the sleeve of his left arm, he stared at the pale skin. Breathing deeply, he placed the blade of the kunai to the soft skin of his arm. '3… 2… 1...' He thought to himself. Then, searing pain filled his very soul with satisfaction. He opened his eyes to look at what he had done. The kunai laid on the floor, drops of blood on the blade. Blood flowed down his arm, filling the grim hunger that had once consumed him. After a moment, he stood from his seat and bandaged the wound, so he wouldn't get blood everywhere. He picked up the disowned weapon and hid it in his bed side table drawer, for later use. _

_He sat on his bed in silence, his arm throbbing. Regret suddenly washed over him. What had he been thinking? He didn't understand why he had just willingly hurt himself. All he knew was that he felt a little better. Sure it was stupid, but he felt better. Sighing, he laid down. He stared at the ceiling, watching the light from the candles dance across the surface. Sighing again, he began to rub the bandaged arm, a dull throbbing pain emanating from the self inflicted wound. As he lay there, sleeplessness consumed him. His eyes fell shut and his breathing calmed. A small, but ever present smile found its way to his lips through his dreaming mind. Tears began to well up behind his eyelids, spilling out and trailing down his pale cheek. Suddenly, his breathing raged, his fingers dug into the wound on his arm. He shot up, wide awake. Throwing himself from the bed, he grabbed the kunai from the drawer. Looking at the blade a moment, he made his decision. Laying the blade against the soft flesh of the same arm he wounded earlier, he cut. Slice after slice, wound after wound. Drops of blood fell to the floor like silent tears of a shattered soul. Dropping the blade, he sat in silence, not caring about the repercussions of his actions, only his need to feel better. _

_/ When you cried  
__I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream  
__I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand  
__Through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me /  
__  
Smoke settled over the battlefield, leaving the destruction open to the eye. Craters scattered the once natural forest. The ground covered with scorch marks. Kunai and shuriken lay across the vast terrain. The climactic battle that was fought here had found its end, as the two participants lay feet from each other, completely exhausted. He lay on his back, staring at the cloud covered sky. Questions flew through his weary mind. None had an answer. He couldn't feel his arms, they lay limply at his sides. His legs were so sore, even the thought of moving them brought him pain. He bled from several wounds and his jaw was broken. Looking to his left hand, he found the skin scorched, from the several Chidori he had used against his opponent who lay only a few feet from him. Looking past his hand, he saw him. The blonde hair a dead give away. The blonde lay on his front, face against the ground. The red chakra of the Kyubi had dissipated long ago, leaving the dobe, his skin burned and in pain. Staring at the boy, he still couldn't believe he had bested him. The blonde dobe had beaten him in the end. He was soon brought from his thoughts by the sound of something moving. _

_Looking back to the blonde, he found him on the move. Using only one hand, the other arm broken, he was crawling towards the Uchiha. He stared in amazement. 'Even after the beating I gave him and the injuries from the demon's chakra, he can still move? Perhaps I will never be stronger than him.' He thought as the blonde drew closer. He found himself lost in the sea of the blondes blue eyes as they stared at each other. Then, the boy continued to amaze him. Pushing his upper body off the ground, he made a move to sit next to the Uchiha, and he did. Despite the injuries to his legs, which probably hurt more now, he sat there, staring down at the raven haired teen. His blue eyes filled with many emotions: Sadness, joy, relief, anger, regret, understanding and lastly, forgiveness. Tears began to fall from those blue eyes, appearing to him that the blondes' eyes had been broken open and their color was falling out. He would have said something at this moment, had his jaw not been broken. But, he didn't need to, the dobe did for him. _

"_Sasuke, whose dead last now? Surly it's not me anymore. After all, I just beat you, right?" The blonde reached foreword and grasped his left arm, raising it and his body up off the scarred ground. Laying his arm across the back of his shoulders, the blonde began to try and stand. Actually succeeding, again, he was amazed. Before they began to move, the blonde began to speak again. "You should know by now Sasuke, when I say I'm gonna do something, I mean it. I was never going to give up on you, no matter what you said. I made a promise to not just Sakura, but to everyone including myself that I would bring you back." The blonde winced as he stepped on his ankle wrong, but then he continued. "Whether that meant breaking both your arms and legs, dragging you back kicking and screaming, or even dieing, it didn't matter. I was gonna keep my promise, cuz that's my ninja way." He stopped walking a moment to breath, exhaustion was starting to set in, the Uchiha could tell. Despite what the blonde was probably thinking, he was listening to every word. Each one engraved itself into his memory. _

_They started moving again and the blonde continued. "I don't care whether or not you want to go back, you're going. I worked to hard to lose you now." He paused, the raven wondered why. "Everyone thinks I'm crazy, going this far to bring you back. To them, you're a lost cause, but I don't care. I would go to the ends of the earth to bring you back. If you ever pull this again, I can guarantee that I will follow you, and bring you back every time. I will do that because, Sasuke, you're my most precious person." This shocked him, he was someone's most precious person, even though he had attempted to kill said person, he still cared. That struck something deep inside the raven. "You were the first person to truly acknowledge me, and I pushed myself to be just like you. You matter the most to me, you're my best friend Sasuke. And you always will be." He felt warm inside, someone cared about him. _

"_I wonder if the people of Konoha will be happy that I brought you back. I hope so. But I will say this, just to get it out in the open." He wondered what could be so important. "If they sentence you to death, cuz you're a missing nin, then I'll die along with you, that much I promise." He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And if Orochimaru comes after you again, I'll kill the bastard or die trying." Shock dulled away all his pain. "I won't let anyone take you away from me again, Sasuke, not even yourself." Tears threatened his eyes, true warmth filling his heart at the dobe's words. But dread filled him as the gates of Konoha loomed in the distance. _

_/ I've tried so hard  
__To tell myself that you're gone  
But though you're still with me  
I've been alone all along /_

He shifted, lying on his side, the jacket still held tightly to his chest. The scars on his arms were throbbing at the memory of their creation. Tears spilled from his eyes, falling silently to his soaked pillow. He opened his eyes slowly, watching silently as his fuzzy vision came into focus. He did not know how long he had been asleep, whether it had been hours or days. All he knew was that he was still tired, so tired. His eyelids were heavy, so heavy. His breaths were shallow, his body stiff. Tears still fell from his eyes. His grip on the jacket tightened as he curled his stiff body into a ball. A whisper ghosted from his lips, not even he knew what he said. His eyes sealed shut once he stopped moving, his exhaustion setting in. His world turned dark, he couldn't see a thing. Then, he was a dot of light. It soon grew larger, coming towards him. Soon, it became so bright, he was blinded by it. Sealing his eyes, covering his face, he tried to block it out.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an all too familiar place, The White Abyss as he now called it. He was all alone, like several times before. Looking down, he saw the same chains that always bound his wrists and ankles to the vast nothingness. Letting his arms drop to his sides, he stood alone. He shifted, the chain links rattled, there was no echo. He sighed, not understanding why he was there. Then, he heard what sounded like metal cracking. Looking to the chains on his wrists and ankles, they shattered, the pieces vanishing into oblivion. His eyes widened, not understanding what just happened. Then, he felt someone's eyes one him. Raising his gaze, he met the sight of bright blue eyes and sun kissed blonde hair. Standing before him was his sunshine, a large fox smile on his whiskered face.

"Hey Teme." The blonde said, still smiling.

He remained silent.

"I've been waiting for you. I'm glad you didn't keep me waiting." His smile faded as he stared at the raven.

"Nar…Naruto?" He asked in shock.

"Yeah Teme, it's me." He paused. "You didn't have to rush yourself, I would have waited an eternity here for you. But I'm so happy you're here now, I've missed you so much." The blonde then pulled him close and embraced him. After a moment, he returned the embrace, a genuine smile on his face.

"Dobe, I love you."

"Teme, I love you more."

_/ When you cried  
__I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream  
__I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand  
__Through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me /_

"Sasuke! Please open the door!" Shouted the pink haired girl as she pounded her fist against the wood. She had come to visit her down trodden friend, hoping to cheer him up. She wanted to tell him her wonderful news. Pausing her pounding, she laid a hand on her stomach, it protruded slightly. She smiled down at her unborn child. Raising her gaze back to the door, she began to pound again, she wanted inside before her and her baby caught cold from the rain. Soon realizing that the Uchiha wasn't coming to the door, she ran to the window along the front of the house, the living room one. Peaking through, she couldn't see him anywhere. From what she knew, he was always sitting in the living room, looking out the window. But he wasn't there, it was empty. Just as she was about to break open the window, damn the consequences, a familiar voice stopped her.

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

"Ohayo Kakashi-sensei, I'm just looking for Sasuke. He isn't in his favorite chair and the door is locked." She stated as she walked toward the gray haired man.

"So you were going to break the window? In your current condition, I don't think Lee would approve." He said as he looked at her protruding belly.

"Ano, I don't care. It's not like Sasuke to not come to the door when he knows it's me. I'm worried." She stared at the door.

"Same, usually when I get close, he opens it without me having to knock." The gray haired shinobi looked at the door. "I'll get us in, something has to be wrong." He grasped the door handle, and pulled. Effectively breaking the lock and opening the door.

Stepping inside, they found the house empty. Dust covered everything. The kitchen looked unused, and the living room unlived in. Finding the stairs, the pink haired girl ascended them while the gray haired nin continued to search the first floor. Finding the first floor completely untouched prior to their arrival, he followed the kunoichi's lead and walked up stairs. Finding that she had opened most of the up stair doors on one side, he began work on the other side. Just as with the lower level, all rooms were untouched. He couldn't even open one door, finding it nailed shut. '_Itachi's room._' He thought to himself. Finally, he came to the last door, at the end of the hall. Grasping the handle, a feeling of dread washed over him. Not heeding his body's warnings, he opened the last door. The scent of death rushed through the small space between the door and its frame, hitting him with such a force. Placing a hand over his masked nose, he opened the door all the way. Horror shown in his one eye, his feet frozen to the floor.

The pink haired girl came up behind him, to tell him the Uchiha was no where to be found. But, upon seeing her former sensei's face, she knew he had found him. Following the gray haired man's gaze, shock filled her being. Stepping forward, into the room, her vantage point became better. A hand shot to cover and prevent the gasp that was desperately trying to escape her throat. There, lying curled up on the bed, was the raven. His body nothing but skin and bone, his cloths hung loosely on his still frame. His skin was white, but had spots of purple around his eyes. His chest was still. Held tightly in his boney hands was the jacket that their lost teammate had left him with. Upon closer inspection, she found that the pillow his head lay on was soaked with tears. Trying to find one ray of hope, she placed her fingers on the leathery skin of his neck and hunted for a pulse. Her world collapsed when she found none.

Tears fell from her eyes as she turned to speak to her former sensei.

"Sasuke's dead, he just withered away." She paused to collect herself. "Judging from the texture of his skin and its coloration, it's only been about an hour or so. He died in his sleep it looks like." She paused again. "I told him he would starve to death. I told him!"

"Sakura…" Came the hushed voice of the gray haired man.

"What Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, anger and sadness in her voice.

"Not eating isn't what killed him."

"Then what did?" She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"A broken heart." He pointed at the jacket to emphasize his point.

Understanding what he meant, she turned to leave. The gray haired shinobi followed. They reported this to the Hokage, who wasn't at all surprised. She had suspected from the start that this was how it would end. Preparations for his funeral commenced. After his body was removed from the bed, it was cremated. The Uchiha district was closed off to everyone due to its only resident's death. The funeral was silent, not everyone knew how the heir had died, only that he was dead. Silence, true silence, covered the city, for on that day it didn't rain. A grave marker was placed next to that of the blondes, fore they knew that was what he would have wanted. Upon the stone it read, "Sasuke Uchiha. A life filled with loss, may he now rest in peace along side the one he died for." Flowers were left daily, everyone mourning the loss. Unbeknownst to them, the fox and raven were smiling down upon them, bringing the village and their friends happiness for years to come.


End file.
